The Blue Sky Folder

Deep in the archives of my computer there is a small beacon of light that shines brightly through the darkness. It’s called the Blue Sky Folder. Inside is a collection of sketches, experiments, new styles, new techniques, story concepts and a bunch of projects in various stages of completion. This folder is basically a resting place for all the ideas that rattle around inside my head long enough for me to get them down on paper or into various stages of digital completion. Like many other artists I’m always restless to try new things and this is my outlet. 

This is a Blue Sky piece I began almost 3 years ago. I wasn’t quite sure where I was headed with it at the time so I put it in hold to work on other things. I had totally forgotten about it until I was leafing through the the folder recently and it caught my eye. One of the main reasons I had put this one on hold was that the techniques I’d used to create it were very time consuming and a bit unrefined. Looking at the piece again I realized that the solution was sitting right in front of me. I didn’t have my Cintiq tablet when I started so any digital freehand drawing was pretty much out of the question? As I popped the file up on my screen I realized that was no longer an obstacle. It only took me a few hours to finish the piece and I’m psyched because now I finally have a great way to save time and paint right on the computer.

The post The Blue Sky Folder appeared first on Illustration.

Hello all! I'm resurfacing from the writing cave for a day and realized it's been a month since I've blogged. I'm a terrible blogger--I'm sure you'll agree. I prefer the simple, quick tweet or status update to the longer format of the blog. So if you're ever looking for me, you can find me on facebook or twitter.

Can you believe it's only 2 weeks until DEAD TO YOU comes out? If you're wondering what it's about, you can find a description of it on my website. Or maybe I'll just put it here:

Dead To You - Available February 7, 2012!

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together.

But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

As always, there is a little love story. I hope you enjoy it! You can pre-order online or check your local store to see if they have it on order.

What's up next? Well, let me just tell you:

Feb 7, 2012: DEAD TO YOU
Sept 4, 2012: THE UNWANTEDS: ISLAND OF SILENCE (bk 2 of the series)
Feb 2013: My book in the INFINITY RING series will be out! (I'm writing book 3)
Spring 2013: CRASH - a teen paranormal about a girl, a meatball truck, visions, forbidden love, hoarding, and nine body bags in the snow. Potential series.
Fall 2013: THE UNWANTEDS book 3!

No wonder I've been hanging out in the writing cave. Time to go back in.

I'm happy to announce that my children's picture book, Crash!, released by Guardian Angel Publishing last year, is now available in a Spanish edition.

I'm donating 50% of my royalties of both editions to Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary.

Blurb:

Marcelo is thrilled when he gets a golden retriever puppy for his birthday, but now he faces one of the toughest jobs of his life, not only because owning a pet is a huge responsibility, but because he has to find the perfect name for it—and that’s hard!

My inspiration for the book...

One of the questions I’m asked the most on school visits is “Where do you get your ideas?”

Ideas come from all around: TV, magazines, memories, grandmothers’ tales, dreams, and even nightmares. In the case of my children’s picture book, Crash!, about a little boy and his first golden retriever puppy, I was inspired by a sad personal experience. Years ago, we got a golden retriever puppy, which we named Crash. Crash was a sweet, smart, assertive dog, and he stole our hearts from day One. Unfortunately, he was with us only three weeks. Though we didn’t know it at the time, my daughter, who was only four back then, was allergic to dogs. She fell sick almost immediately with a bronchitis that wouldn’t go away and was quickly turning to pneumonia. The antibiotics weren’t working. Finally, the doctor’s words crushed us: “You have to get rid of your dog.” Believe me, those are horrible words to have to hear. It broke our hearts, but only three weeks after we had got him, we had to give Crash up.

It’s amazing what the loss of a pet can do to you. The one who was struck the hardest was my son, who was about eleven back then. He felt betrayed by all of us, but especially by his sister who in his eyes was the criminal. After all, it was because of her that Crash had to go away. Tears were abundant that first month after we gave him up. To top it all, it was December, Christmas time!

The good side of this story is, we found a wonderful home for Crash. The last I heard about them is that ‘They love him to death’.

Right away we knew we had to do something if we were going to have a dog in the future, so we took my daughter to an allergy specialist who put her on a three-year treatment. Three years seemed daunting, especially at that time; but, as you know, time passes quickly and patience pays off. In the end, the treatment worked like a charm and we were able to get another golden retriever puppy. We named him Amigo. Three years old now, he’s our darling, the bell of our hearts. He keeps himself busy chasing the rabbits and interviewing authors for his blog, Pets and Their Authors. You can visit him at www.PetsandAuthors.blogspot.com.

But to get back to inspiration… I wanted to immortalize Crash. I needed to ‘let him know’ that we would never forget him—and what better way than with a book? I dedicated the story to my son, the one who was struck the hardest by his departure.

Writing is a form of healing. A book is a very powerful thing. For me, it was the only way to put closure to a heartbreaking experience.

To read what reviewers are saying, visit Amazon, Crash the Puppy or Guardian Angel Publishing.

The Spanish edition, Chocalin! just became available from Amazon.

Watch the trailer...

Today my guest is author and reviewer, Mayra Calvani.

Also available in Spanish!

FINDING THE PERFECT NAME FOR YOUR PUPPY

by Mayra Calvani

Getting a new puppy is an exciting time for a family. It's just like the arrival of a new baby! If there are kids in the family, then the event is even more thrilling. Hopefully, you have done your homework and read books on the subject and know all about the responsibilities of owning a new pet.
There's only one thing left to be done: finding the perfect name for your puppy.
How do you find the perfect name for your dog? Ideally, it should reflect its character, and even its physical appearance. If you already have a name in your mind because that's the one you have always dreamed for your dog, then congratulations. Your job is easy. If you don't have a name in mind, this will take some thinking, and even-as it was in our case-an official family meeting!
Would you like to name your dog like a famous philosopher-Homer, Plato, or Aristotle? Or perhaps like a famous scientist, like Einstein or Mr. Hawking? What about a biblical name like Noah? Or maybe a goofy name like Wacky or Taffy? Or even a food name, like Honey or Cinnamon? What about a common name like Sam, Max, or Lady?
In my children's picture book, CRASH, five-year old Marcelo sets out to find the perfect name for his new golden retriever puppy. His parents keep making suggestions, but Marcelo refuses, as he must find not just any name, but the perfect name for his beloved new puppy. Finally, something really peculiar about the puppy helps Marcelo come up with the perfect name.
So observe your puppy carefully. Maybe it has a quirk or odd character trait which belongs only to it, and one which will help you come up with the ideal name.
There are hundreds of sites online to help you choose the perfect dog name. Just do a search for 'dog names' on Google.
Ideally, the name you give your puppy should be short (one or two syllables), and should not sound like another member of the family's or like a dog command, for obvious reasons. But this isn't a rule and in reality, the sky is the limit.
Have fun finding that perfect name and good luck!
Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author, reviewer, dog lover, and animal advocate.A regular contributor to Blogcritics Magazine and American Chronicle, she is also the author of CRASH!, a children's picture book about a little boy and how he learns to care and find the perfect name for his new golden retriever puppy. Check out her 'Crash the Puppy' blog at http://www.crashthepuppy.blogspot.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mayra_Calvani

Mayra will be giving away an autographed copy of Crash! on her blog. http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com/

*Crash has his own blog at http://www.crashthepuppy.blogspot.com/ (games and coloring pages for kids)

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*Mayra is donating 50% of author royalties to Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary.

*The Spanish version will be out this summer

*My Pets and Their Authors blog at http://www.petsandauthors.blogspot.com/

*I'm the Latino Books Examiner athttp://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner

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Crash!by Mayra Calvani

Illustrated by Anna Pylypchuk

Guardian Angel Publishing

ISBN: 1-933090-54-5

April 2008

Paperback, 32 pages, $10.95

Picture Book,

Ages 2-6

Marcelo is thrilled when he gets a golden retriever puppy for hisbirthday, but now he faces one of the toughest jobs of his life, not only because owning a pet is a huge responsibility, but because he has to find the perfect name for it-and that's hard!

Multi-genre author, reviewer, dog lover and animal advocate MayraCalvani hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She's a regular contributorto Blogcritics Magazine and Suite101. When she is not writing, she enjoys reading, playing the violin, interviewing other authors for her blogs and newsletters and watching too many reruns of Gilmore Girls and I Dream of Jeannie. She’s the author of the picture book, TheMagic Violin, also published by Guardian Angel Publishing. She's also the Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com:http://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner

My dog articles:http://ezinearticles.com/?Finding-the-Perfect-Name-For-Your-Puppy&id=1252779http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Responsibilities-of-Owning-a-Dog&id=1252771

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Friday you will find Mayra Calvani at Joy Delgado's website.

Today Shari Lyle-Soffe can be found at Donna Shepherd's website.

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LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE DRAWING FOR AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF NOTHING STOPS NOAH!!

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Edward A. Zelinsky is the Morris and Annie Trachman Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University. He is the author of The Origins of the Ownership Society: How The Defined Contribution Paradigm Changed America.  In this article, Zelinsky discusses the federal government’s promotion of common stock investments for 401(k) participants. He suggests that, in light of the Crash of 2008, that promotion constitutes misguided paternalism.

Even as we contemplate the financial carnage of the Crash of 2008, the federal government sends a strong, paternalistic and, ultimately, misguided message to 401(k) participants: Invest your retirement savings in common stocks.

Congress, in the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), directed the Secretary of Labor to promulgate regulations specifying the “default investments” to which 401(k) funds will be directed if participants fail to make their own investment choices. Under the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor, a plan fiduciary obtains immunity from liability for a participant’s investment decisions only if the plan’s default investment constitutes a “qualified default investment alternative.” Among other requirements, a qualified default investment alternative must satisfy one of three mandatory patterns: a “life-cycle” pattern under which “a mix of equity and fixed income” investments changes for the individual participant as the participant ages, a “balanced” portfolio under which each participant has the same “mix of equity and fixed income” investments “consistent with a target level of risk appropriate for participants of the plan as a whole,” or a “managed account” under which an investment manager allocates a particular participant’s account to “a mix of equity and fixed income” assets.

When one cuts through the bureaucratic verbiage, a strong message emerges: 401(k) funds, particularly the funds of younger participants, should be invested in common stocks.

At one level, the PPA and the DOL regulations which implement it reflect a plausible investment theory, namely, that common stocks, for the long run, do better than do more conservative investments. The PPA and the DOL regulations also respond, in light of this theory, to two accurate perceptions about the 401(k) world: First, unless participants direct otherwise, 401(k) plans have historically placed participants’ resources into conservative, low-yield investments like money market funds. Second, 401(k) participants often fail to diversify their holdings out of these conservative default investments.

Hence, the PPA and the DOL regulations channel 401(k) funds toward common stocks by effectively requiring that at least part of passive participants’ accounts be invested in such stocks.

Surveying the wreckage of the Crash of 2008, this looks like misguided paternalism. Many investors who buy common stocks in the current bearish environment are likely do well in the long run. But, as they say, past performance is no guarantee of future success. And some, particularly smaller investors, may sincerely and (from today’s perspective) rationally prefer to avoid the volatility associated with common stocks.

There is, as we have just seen, a reason that the extra projected profit associated with common stocks is labeled a “risk premium.” The passive 401(k) participant who leaves his funds in conservative, low-yield investments looks more reasonable today than he did when Congress passed the PPA in the bull market of 2006.

A defender of the PPA and the DOL regulations could retort that they do not require participants to invest in common stocks, but merely send 401(k) funds to equity investments unless the participants direct otherwise. True. But the PPA and the DOL regulations nevertheless reflect a father-knows-best attitude, taking it as the federal government’s responsibility to privilege its preferred approach to investing and enshrining that stock-based approach in the law.

Before the Crash of 2008, such paternalism looked plausible. At an as yet unknown date in the future, such paternalism may look plausible again. Today, it looks misguided.

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Hi all,

Today I'm at The Book Connection, where Cheryl Malandrinos has posted a lovely review of my picture book, CRASH!

Comments are welcome. I'll be drawing one winner for a $20 gift certificate from the Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary at the end of the month.

http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Best,
Mayra

Not all spiritual books for kids are obviously so at first glance. Fiction may help children deal with spiritual questions even better when there is not direct spiritual content. A librarian friend offers three of her multicultural favorites for older kids. Crash, by Jerry Spinelli, documents the growing friendship between a Quaker boy and an agnostic jock. Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi, is a Batchelder Award-winning memoir of a Palestinian childhood. In Iqbal, by Francesco D’Adamo, a fictionalized account of a Pakistani boy sold into slavery, children develop spirituality without any wholesome adult influence. (At PaperTigers, see a review of Susan Kuklan’s Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders Against Child Slavery, a non-fiction account of this tragic but inspiring story.)

Two recent Australian animal picture books are among the many endearing examples of spiritual books for young children. Breakfast with Buddha, by Vashti Farrer and Gaye Chapman, is a first-person account of an ego-filled cat’s encounter with Buddhist monks and his consequent lesson about humility. Samsara Dog, by Helen Manos, beautifully relates the story of a dog’s several lives as he develops the spiritual qualities that finally free him from the cycle of rebirth.

And a Buddhist nun friend from Taiwan highly recommends Kate Decamillo’s The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. “I read it six times,” she said with a smile, “and cried every single time.”

The deep themes of human life are everywhere, for eyes that see. Non-didactic fiction gives children a way to explore large spiritual questions without being “spoon-fed” opinions and views.

Wow! Thank you so much for everyone who came to visit my blog and left all the lovely comments. It was a nice surprise and very exciting to be the pick of the week at IF! It even pushed me harder and continue to do what I love to do, so thank you. Here is another fun piece... just in time for valentine's day.